


Triple Down

by heyjupiter



Series: Citizens For a A Thanos-Free Universe [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29990613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: Tony and Pepper have a few decent proposals for Bruce.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Bruce Banner/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Series: Citizens For a A Thanos-Free Universe [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1037702
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Triple Down

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in my Thanos-Free Universe AU; if you haven't read other works in that series it's essentially a canon-divergent AU where Bruce & the Asgardians made it back to Earth after the events of Ragnarok.
> 
> Thanks to volunteerfd for beta reading!

Tony was generally high-energy, but today he reminded Bruce of a hummingbird, flitting around the big Avengers compound workshop with no particular goal. He seemed to be working on ten different things at once, which wasn't necessarily unusual for Tony. He and Bruce often worked independently of each other on different projects, asking for each other's feedback as they went. But Tony didn't actually seem to be making progress on anything.

Finally, Bruce asked, "Hey. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Tony sat on a nearby stool and spun around. "Hm? No? I mean, actually, if you want to triple-check my numbers on those vibranium calculations, or calibrate the photon device, or—"

Bruce walked over and put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Hey. What's going on?"

Tony did a double-take, his eyes wide. "What? Nothing, my genius is just brimming over. What are you implying?"

"Just...maybe we should take a break?"

"Yes! Great idea! Let's take a break at seven o'clock."

"It's eleven AM."

"Mm-hmm!" Tony chirped. Bruce moved his hand up to Tony's forehead. Tony covered Bruce's hand with his own. "I love you, Brucie," he cooed.

"You don't _feel_ feverish," Bruce murmured. 

"Bruce! You think I'm sick?"

"I'm just testing some hypotheses."

"You're so cute when you're scientific."

"I don't suppose you've done any recreational drugs lately?"

Tony huffed.

"I'm not judging you if you did, I'm just—"

"I'm not on drugs and I'm not sick! I'm just very happy and excited for another beautiful day in the workshop with you, my love," Tony said, batting his eyelashes.

"Hm." 

Bruce still felt suspicious but he decided to let it go. He let Tony rope him into several of his projects, keeping an eye on him.

A few hours later, Bruce said, "Why don't we take a lunch break?"

Tony's eyes widened. "Lunch! Yes. Right. Why don't we order in?"

Bruce raised his eyebrows. The Avengers compound was somewhat remote by design and their delivery options were limited. They usually stuck to weekly pizza nights. "I was just going to make sandwiches."

"No, no...I'll make them! You stay here!"

"Are you...trying to keep me from leaving the workshop?"

"What? That's ridiculous. I just don't want you to have to make lunch all the time."

"Okay...but I really don't mind."

"Can't a man want to make lunch for his partner without it being a big deal?"

"I'm not saying it's a big deal, I'm just saying you're acting weird."

"I'm very normal!"

Bruce burst into laughter. "You're not, and you never have been, and I wouldn't want you to be."

Tony smiled. "See? This is why I want to make you lunch." He kissed Bruce on the cheek and said, "So I'm going to do that, and I'll be right back."

Bruce watched Tony leave the workshop, and then he looked up and said, "FRIDAY, is Tony okay?"

"All of his vital signs are stable, Dr. Banner."

"But he's being weird though, right?" Bruce asked, aware that it was also weird to ask an AI's opinion about this.

After a brief pause, FRIDAY said, "Current protocols forbid me to comment."

"What?"

"I am sorry, Dr. Banner. Current protocols forbid me to comment."

"On what?"

"On...certain topics."

"Weird," Bruce muttered.

The door slid open and Tony bounded back into the workshop with a plate in each hand and a bag of SunChips gingerly clamped between his teeth.

Bruce smiled despite himself and took the chips from Tony. They settled onto the couch at the corner of the workshop and Bruce said, "So...Tony, you remember how I have a lot of anxiety, right?"

"Of course, darling, just one of many things we have in common."

"Right. But, so, you remember how I really don't like surprises? Or secrets?"

Tony winced. "...Yes."

"So...why do I have the distinct impression that you're keeping something from me?"

"Okay, well, that maybe technically is the case, but trust me, Bruce, it's nothing bad!"

"Then why don't you just tell me now?"

"Pepper will be mad at me if I tell!"

"But _I'll_ be mad at you if you don't tell!" Tony flopped his head against the back of the couch and sighed. Bruce added, "And I'm keeping the SunChips hostage until you tell."

"Noo, they're French Onion!"

Bruce firmly grasped the bag.

Tony sighed again. Maybe he was remembering how badly Bruce had reacted the last time Tony had kept information from him, or maybe he just really wanted SunChips, but he said, "Okay, but you have to promise to act surprised around Pepper."

"I'll do my best."

"Well...do you know what day it is?"

"Tuesday." Bruce frowned. "Or...might be Wednesday?"

Tony laughed. "It is Tuesday. But—it's the one year anniversary of the day you came back to Earth."

"Oh!" Bruce's head swam for a moment as he tried to process the passage of time.

"Yeah. Oh. So, we wanted to do something special, but we didn't think you'd want to go out. So we got a private chef to come make a fancy dinner, and she's already _completely_ taken over the kitchen, and I can't believe I forgot to think about lunch."

Bruce let out his own sigh of relief. This was a manageable surprise. "Oh. That's...really nice. And I absolutely can believe that you forgot about lunch. You forget about lunch every day."

"Well, I don't need to remember it when I have you around." Tony leaned his head against Bruce's shoulder.

Bruce carefully opened the bag of SunChips and held a chip up to Tony's mouth. Tony playfully grabbed it with his teeth and then kissed Bruce's hand. They laughed as they ate their decidedly non-gourmet lunch. And when they got back to work, Tony had dialed his energy level back down to his normal levels.

Shortly before seven, Bruce asked, "Should I change?"

"No, you're perfect," Tony answered.

"I meant my clothes."

"Noo, then Pepper will know I gave away the surprise. Besides, the whole point of doing a dinner at home was so that we could be comfortable. And you look amazing in that shirt."

Bruce looked down at the lavender Oxford shirt he wore. Pepper had bought him several shirts that were identical in style but in different colors, which Bruce appreciated. "It's the same as my other shirts."

"Yeah, you look amazing in all of your shirts. And out of them."

"You're so ridiculous," Bruce said, but he smiled.

"Me being ridiculous is old news. I'd rather look to the future," Tony said, gesturing at the calculations up on the smartboard. "So we might as well spend our time working on this."

Bruce shook his head, still smiling, and got back to work. The numbers soothed him, and he felt relaxed by the time FRIDAY prompted them to leave for dinner.

They saved their work and Tony took him by the hand and said, "Remember...act surprised."

But when they arrived at the compound's seldom-used formal dining room, Bruce didn't have to feign surprise. The room had been transformed with flowers and candles, and the table was set. Pepper was fussing with the flowers, but she turned when Bruce and Tony entered. She was wearing casual but lovely tan linen pants and a perfectly-tailored button down shirt, and she offered them a radiant smile.

"Oh!" Bruce said. "This is...lovely."

"You like it?" Pepper asked. 

Bruce nodded. He wanted to sit down, but since Pepper and Tony were still standing, he waited politely. Remembering that he was supposed to be surprised, he asked, "Um, what's the occasion?"

Next to him, Tony said, "It's been a year since you came back, and we wanted to celebrate."

"We're so glad you've come back to us," Pepper continued. "We missed you _so_ much when you were away."

"And we know that you missed out on a lot, too," Tony said. He looked uncharacteristically nervous, which was making Bruce nervous. Hadn't the surprise already happened?

Pepper nodded. "Tony proposed to me when you were gone, and we—we weren't sure if you'd come back, and we just felt like...we needed to move forward with our lives, even though it wasn't the same without you."

"And we knew you didn't want to have a part in our big, public wedding, even though...even though you belonged there," Tony continued. Then he dropped to one knee and Bruce gasped. Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "I—when I was younger, I wasn't really convinced about the whole concept of marriage."

"You are still so bad at this," Pepper muttered.

"Let me finish!" Tony said. He cleared his throat and said, " _But_ now I do see the value in making those vows, that...commitment. And I know you're not one for flashy jewelry, Bruce, but, uh…it really is nice to look at my hand and see the symbol of that. And so I thought—"

"— _we_ thought—" Pepper said.

" _We_ thought that you deserved rings too," Tony said. "I know our relationship isn't exactly conventional, but I love you so much, and I don't want you to ever doubt that." He flipped open the box and looked up at Bruce with an almost shy expression. "So, will you...marry us?"

Pepper came to Tony's side. She knelt, too, and produced a similar box. "Both of us?" 

Bruce sat down on the floor. His throat felt thick and his head felt light. He wasn't sure if he was going to cry or faint. He was pretty sure he wouldn't Hulk out, at least, but it was hard to breathe.

After a moment, Tony said, "So, um...is that a...yes?"

Bruce drew a shaky hand to his throat and nodded. Tony and Pepper both beamed and pulled him into a messy hug. Their touch was warm and gentle and felt very grounding to Bruce. His breaths started to come easier. 

Finally, he pulled away. "But, I mean, legally…"

"Shh, don't worry about that part," Pepper said. "It's a symbolic commitment. Do you accept?"

"Yes, I...yes, I love you. Both of you. I…" His eyes filled with tears. "I just never thought I'd get to have...any of this."

"Well, you do," Tony said firmly. "Here, look." He took the ring out of the box, pinched it with both hands, and stretched. "It's made with nanites so it'll fit a much bigger hand. If needed."

Bruce blinked, crying in earnest as Tony slipped the ring over his finger. 

"So's this one," Pepper said, as she put hers on Bruce's hand. The two rings fitted together. They were both made of a dark, sleek metal with small inset emeralds, clear evidence that Tony and Pepper truly accepted Hulk alongside Bruce.

"Oh, you're going to make me cry too, and I'm not wearing waterproof mascara," Pepper said.

"That's on you, Pep. You should have prepared for this," Tony said. He hopped up and brought paper towels to his teary-eyed partners. Then he said, "Hey, we have perfectly nice chairs and a lovely meal waiting for us...why are we still sitting on the floor?"

"Because that's where Bruce is," Pepper replied.

"I...oh." Bruce shook his head and stood up, then offered a hand to help pull Pepper up.

Tony went back into the adjoining kitchen and brought small plates of salad to the table.

"Wow," Bruce said after his first bite.

"It's all—" Tony did air quotes—"'elevated Indian fusion.' We thought you'd like it? It's organic."

"Yeah, it's great, I love the tamarind flavor."

Tony scrunched his nose, took another bite, and shrugged.

Pepper smiled. "Yes, you can totally taste the tamarind!"

Bruce looked between his partners as he ate, feeling comforted by their familiar banter. He and Pepper had much more similar tastes in food than Tony, who would happily eat cheeseburgers for every meal if they'd let him.

When they finished their salads, Tony cleared their plates and came back with some elegant little samosas.

After eating a few of the crispy treats, Bruce blurted out, "So what does this make us?"

"Hungry?" Tony said, looking at the nearly-empty hors d'oeuvres tray. "We should pace ourselves, there are a lot of courses, actually."

"No, I mean…" Bruce held up his left hand. "I know I can't legally marry you…and what should I say if people ask about the rings?"

"I can't believe it only took you twenty minutes to start worrying about something," Tony said.

"Well… I mean, I think it's a fair question. Surely you two have thought about it?" Bruce asked. "I mean...what am I?"

Tony shrugged. "You're Bruce! Polyamory's trendy now. People will get it."

"But...you and Pepper are such public figures, you don't think...it'll be damaging?"

"What will?"

"If people find out you're in a...deviant relationship."

"Deviant!" Tony sputtered. "Have you and Pepper been doing deviant things without me?"

"Well, I just mean, the whole…" Bruce made a vague hand gesture.

"Brucie, in my life I've probably done thousands of deviant things, but our love isn't one of them."

Pepper nodded, her forehead creased with worry. "You don't really think we're _deviant_ , do you?"

Bruce ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry. I—I guess my Catholic upbringing is coming out. But I still think it's a fair question."

"What's the question, exactly?" Pepper asked.

"The question is, don't you think people will think it's weird that Tony Stark and Pepper Potts are in a...a throuple?"

"No," Tony said. "I think that's pretty much expected for me, and I think everyone already thought Pepper was insane when she married me."

Pepper shrugged and nodded, and Tony continued, "And also who cares what _people_ think? Our close friends already know about us, obviously. It's not like it's been a secret...I hope you haven't thought we were embarrassed of you, Bruce. We really thought you'd prefer privacy. But if you want, we'd love to have a ceremony, or...or whatever you want. Really."

"Or it's fine if you don't," Pepper said. "The only opinions that matter about us are ours. I'm sorry if you've been feeling...embarrassed?"

Bruce exhaled. "Not embarrassed. I guess I just...well, you know my social skills are a little rusty. And I just…" He looked down at the traces of sauce on his plate. "Well, you're right, I...I do love both of you, and if you love me—"

"Why did you say _if_?" Tony asked. "We definitely do. That's kind of...the whole point of this."

"Okay. Yes. No, I know, I just…"

"We should probably try relationship counseling," Pepper said. "Just to help us all process these feelings."

"—But we can talk about that later," Tony said.

"Yeah, we probably should," Bruce agreed. "You—you guys know this is hard for me. But...but this all means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me." Tony and Pepper smiled at him. "And...and you're right that I don't want a, a public ceremony, or anything. So I guess you can just call me your...partner?"

"We already call you that," Tony said. "You already are that. You don't want an upgrade to husband?"

Bruce bit his lip and twisted his rings around. "I just feel like that word means something that doesn't apply to me."

"It means what we want it to mean," Tony said.

"We don't want you to feel like a lesser part of this relationship just because we couldn't have the same legal ceremony with you," Pepper said. "We'd like for you to be our husband."

"Also you've already broken like, a _bunch_ of laws," Tony said. "So I don't get why this would be an issue." Bruce laughed and looked down at his hands. Tony said, "I'll go get our main course if you need some more time to overthink this."

Bruce looked over at Pepper, who was looking back at him with love in her eyes. "I wish we'd done this sooner," she said. 

Bruce shook his head. "This is perfect."

Tony came back with a bottle of champagne. "I forgot about this, which I know is very out of character for me. Does everyone want some?"

"Sure," Bruce said. He didn't drink often, but... "We're celebrating." 

Tony smiled and popped open the cork. They all laughed as Tony filled three flutes. Tony raised his glass and said, "I propose a toast to our handsome husband Bruce. We're so lucky to have him!" 

Bruce shyly clinked his glass but he said, "No, I'm so lucky to have you two. I never...I never thought I'd find love again, let alone two people who would...accept me. And not just any two people but the most generous, kindest people I've ever known…" He trailed off and raised his glass again.

Pepper clinked it and said, "No, _I'm_ the lucky one. I would have just been a secretary if I hadn't known Tony, and then to get to be with _two_ of the smartest, sweetest men on the planet…" She smiled and shook her head, raising her glass again. 

Bruce wanted to object, but Tony rolled his eyes and tapped against her glass. "First of all, Pep, you'd definitely have been successful no matter what company you worked for. _I'm_ obviously the lucky one here, I'd be literally dead if it weren't for the two of you. Not to mention that I never thought I'd find even one person to put up with me, let alone both of you amazingly wonderful people…" He smiled at them and said, "Okay, that's it on toasts." He sipped his drink and Bruce and Pepper followed his lead. It was good champagne, unsurprisingly. 

Tony took another sip and then said, "Oh! The food." He returned with plates of delicious biryani, and for the rest of the night they ate and drank and Bruce felt the purest happiness he'd felt in...maybe ever.

After they finished every course of their exquisite meal, and another bottle of champagne, they went up to the bedroom that Bruce still thought of as Tony and Pepper's—he slept with them often, but still kept his own bedroom for nights when he preferred quiet. He wondered if that would change going forward but decided not to bring it up at the moment.

Bruce took off his shirt, sighed, and said, "I..I feel like we should, um, consummate this, but to be honest I'm really full and tired?"

Pepper said, "Oh, me too, I'm so glad you said that."

Tony said, "You guys are quitters!"

"Oh, do you want me to—" Bruce offered, but Tony cut him off with a headshake. 

" _No_ , Brucie, just...give me a kiss and we can see how we're feeling in the morning."

Bruce leaned in and kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too," Tony replied. "Obviously."

Pepper had changed into a silk nightie and she settled on the edge of the bed on Bruce's other side. "I love you too!" she exclaimed, leaning in to give Bruce another kiss.

They curled up together and Bruce fell asleep feeling full of love (as well as carbohydrates). In the morning, he woke up first with his—his husband and his wife each snuggled up against him. Bruce didn't want to wake them, so he laid there quietly, listening to them breathe and thinking about his life.

Pepper stirred first and she nuzzled against Bruce's throat, kissing him and stroking his hair. Tony rolled over and said, "Ooh, is it time?" He snaked his hand down and found Bruce's erection. "Yess, it's totally time!" 

"Good morning to you too," Bruce teased, but before long, he was making other sounds.

Later, the three of them curled up together and caught their breath. "See, aren't you glad we didn't do all that on full stomachs?" Pepper asked.

Tony said, "I mean, I think we could have done both...sorry, I mean, yes, you two are always right."

Bruce laughed. "FRIDAY, will you make a note of that?"

"Override," Tony grumbled.

"Speaking of stomachs...why don't we get cleaned up and have breakfast?" Pepper asked. "We got croissants from that good bakery."

"Well, why didn't you say so earlier?" Bruce asked. He sat up and stretched his arms over his head. Tony sat up and kissed him. "Tony…"

"I'm allowed to kiss my husband," Tony said.

"Well...yes, but not when I'm trying to get _out_ of bed."

Tony huffed, but eventually they made it out of bed and into the adjoining bathroom's huge shower. They dressed casually and brought their breakfast out onto the roof deck. It was a beautiful spring morning and Bruce kept trying to discreetly admire the way the sunlight reflected off his emerald rings.

After they'd finished eating, but were still lounging around with their coffee, Pepper cleared her throat and said, "Bruce, there's something else that we want to talk to you about, and I really want you to please hear us out, okay?"

Her tone was kind, but Bruce was instantly on edge. He straightened up and looked at Pepper. "Uh, sure."

"I mean it, Bruce. I want you to listen to the words we're saying, not to your...your inner saboteur."

Tony snorted, but he nodded. "She's right, Bruce."

"Okay, so...I'm listening," Bruce said. He began twisting his hands together until Pepper reached across the small table and grabbed one of his hands. Next to him, Tony took the other.

Pepper said, "There's something else that Tony and I talked about while you were gone, and now it's a conversation we want to have with you."

"Uh-huh…" Bruce said.

Tony said, "We were talking about, well, having children."

Bruce tried to pull his hands back, wanting to wrap his arms around himself, but Tony and Pepper held firm. His brain wanted to check out, but their touch grounded him, forcing him to stay present. And he had promised to listen.

"Bruce, _listen_ ," Pepper insisted. "We want this to be a _conversation_ with you. What do you think about kids?"

"I...I...I think you two would be great parents," Bruce managed.

"Thank you, Bruce, but that doesn't answer the question," Pepper said.

"Well—you—you know I can't...I can't have kids. You _know_ that."

Tony said, "Well, but, that's what's nice about having two of us in the relationship."

"What?"

"I mean, I know that your little swimmers aren't up for a long journey, but as far as I know, mine are."

" _What_?"

Tony tilted his head. "I—sorry, I mean, I—I know you're infertile, from your accident, but...but we could still have a child that was, uh, biologically mine and Pepper's, but really all of ours."

Bruce took a deep breath. "Wait, when—when I've said that I couldn't have children… _that's_ what you thought I meant?"

Tony and Pepper both looked confused. "Well...what did you mean, then?" Pepper asked.

"I—I mean, Tony's right, the radiation did make me genetically sterile, but—but I—I can't believe I have to explain this. How could I possibly be around a baby?"

"There's classes you can take," Tony said. "You're pretty smart, I'm sure we'll figure it out. You practice putting diapers on dolls and stuff."

"I—I know how to change a diaper," Bruce said. "That's not what I mean."

"So...what do you mean, Bruce?" Pepper asked. "Tell us."

"I—I'm the _Hulk_ ," Bruce whispered. "It wouldn't be safe to have a baby around me."

Tony and Pepper looked at him with apparently sincere confusion.

"Babe, what are you _talking_ about?" Tony asked.

"I can't think of anybody I'd rather have around a baby," Pepper said.

"But—"

"You're in better control of the Hulk than you've ever been," Pepper said. "I didn't know you were still worried about him like that."

"And I _would_ trust Hulk with a baby. With our baby, anyway."

"You're...this is insane," Bruce said.

"Why? Hulk has always been protective of the people _you_ care about. Who are you going to care about more than our baby? Hulk would be the best babysitter ever," Tony said.

Bruce looked at Pepper, hoping for some sanity from her, but she was nodding. "Bruce, we're not worried about Hulk. We want to know what _you_ think, and you don't have to decide today. We just wanted you to hear us out."

"So...so you're saying that you two want to have a baby, but if I don't want to, then you won't?" Bruce asked, trying not to sound too skeptical.

Tony adjusted his grip on Bruce's left hand, letting him see the rings. "Yes, Bruce, we are saying that. We're a trio. Your opinion matters."

It occurred to Bruce that Tony and Pepper must have made a full agenda for this—first the dinner, then the proposal, then the...this. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand, it was uncomfortable to feel...managed. But it did show that they'd spent a remarkable amount of time trying to consider his feelings, which was...nice.

"Bruce?" Pepper asked. "It's perfectly understandable if you need time to think, but could you please say...something?"

Bruce blinked. "Oh. Well, I—I don't want to get in the way…"

"Bruce. You're not _in_ the way. You're...you're part of the way," Tony said.

"Anyway, I haven't unconditionally agreed to the idea yet, either," Pepper said.

"What?" Bruce asked.

Pepper shrugged. "Tony was the one who first brought it up. While you were away. And I said he'd have to retire from Iron Man before I'd seriously think about having kids."

Tony exhaled. Bruce said, "But—I can't retire from being Hulk!"

"Except that you kind of _did_ ," Pepper said. "You're not an active Avenger. Not the way Tony is."

"I've been thinking about it...retirement...and...yeah, I think it's time," Tony agreed.

"Really?" Bruce asked.

"Haven't I earned it?" Tony asked.

"Yes, of course you have, I just…" He hadn't thought Tony would ever voluntarily give up Iron Man. Tony must _really_ want a baby. Bruce squirmed at the thought of standing in the way of that.

"I hate to admit it, but I'm getting older. I'm not—I—I won't be able to do this forever," Tony said, bringing a hand to his glowing chest plate. "And we won't be childbearing ages forever, either. I think...there are enough other...heroes...that I can take a more...supporting role."

"And we have to move," Pepper said. "I'm not raising a child in the _Avengers compound._ "

"Oh. Back to the city?" Bruce asked.

Tony shook his head. "That...wouldn't be my preference. Would it be yours?"

"Well...no, I guess I...I like it at the Compound," Bruce said. "It's quiet here."

"There are other quiet places, Bruce," Pepper said. "We could stay in New York State, even, just...just a house. Not a paramilitary _compound_."

"Oh. Right," Bruce said. It was _still_ hard for him to wrap his head around the wealth that Tony and Pepper had. If they wanted a house, they'd just buy a house. Obviously. Problems that could be solved with money weren't really problems for Tony and Pepper. Or, he supposed, for him. He turned to Tony and asked, "Why?"

"What?"

"Why do you want a...a baby?" Bruce near-whispered.

"I...I want to be able to share this love that we have," Tony said. "I want my child to grow up with all the things I didn't have. With parents who are around, and who...I think...I think working with Peter has made me think about it more seriously. I know I'm not his dad, and he has his own family, but I do love that kid. And it's been amazing and scary to see that he...looks up to me. And I...yeah, I'd like to have a kid. At least one. I don't know. But if—but you're more important, Bruce, okay? If...if this is a dealbreaker for you, then...then, okay, I'll...I don't know, I'll coach Little League or something."

"You do not know how to play baseball," Bruce said.

"I'll learn! It can't be that hard!"

Bruce let out a weak laugh. "It's not—it's not that I don't like kids, I just...I don't...I don't have any idea...how…"

"I told you, there are classes," Tony repeated.

Bruce sagged in his chair, though Tony and Pepper still held firmly to his hands. "I mean, I don't...all I know is that I don't want to be like my father."

"You _won't_ ," Tony said. "And I won't either. We'll be better."

"But how do you know?" Bruce asked.

"Because we know you," Pepper said.

"You're already great with Peter," Tony said. "You're so patient."

"But, I mean...surely my mom didn't think that my dad would...would be like that." Bruce looked down at his hands, too afraid to look Tony and Pepper in the eyes.

Pepper said, "Okay, another condition is we all definitely need therapy. I know we've talked about it before and haven't really followed through, but...we'll find someone who can work with our...unique needs. Because Bruce, I'm sure this is bringing up hard memories. But you're so strong, and kind, and I absolutely wouldn't be sitting here asking to have a baby with you if I thought there was any chance that you'd ever hurt our baby. Or me. Or Tony. I know you won't. But I don't know what it will take for you to believe that, too."

Bruce exhaled and nodded. "Yeah, okay, I...yeah."

Tony peeked sideways at him. "So, uh, what exactly does 'yeah' mean?"

"Um, I guess...yeah, to...everything? To therapy, to moving, to...to...yes, if you want to try to get pregnant, I...I'll be here."

Tony squeezed Bruce's hand and leaned in for a cheek kiss. "Yay!"

Across the table, Pepper beamed at him. She said, "I have another condition, Bruce."

"Okay?"

"If you're ever feeling overwhelmed or having doubts about any of this, I need you to promise that you'll _say something_ and not just disappear."

"I—okay," Bruce said.

"I mean both literally and figuratively disappear," Pepper amended.

Bruce nodded.

Tony said, "Okay, then if we're all agreed...let's go make a baby!"

Pepper laughed. "No way, Tony. Before we start, I'll need to make a doctor's appointment and go off my birth control, you're going to need to issue a press release about Iron Man, we're all going to need therapy appointments, because I am extremely serious about that one, and we'll need to start looking at real estate…" She ticked action items off on her fingers as she spoke.

Tony sighed. "Okay, yes, but we can still _practice_."

"I don't think lack of practice is going to be our problem here," Pepper said with a wry smile.

"Fine, then I'm going to get my tablet from inside. Does anybody need anything?"

"I'll take more water, thanks," Pepper said.

Bruce just smiled and shook his head. He had everything he needed.


End file.
